SpaceX’s Starship rocket made its fourth test flight

SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, launched Starship at 09:45 EDT (13:45 BST) on June 6 from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. During the fourth test flight, parts of the rocket broke off in flames during re-entry, which crews on the ground described as a “light show”.

The Starship sustained significant damage during reentry, and one of the wings appeared to break off. There was no sign of the rocket after reentry, so it’s still unclear what its status is. Despite this, the rocket managed to make its first landing in the Gulf of Mexico.

SPACEX’S STARLINK SATELLITES WERE USED

The team used SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to maintain communications, which had previously suffered interruptions, during reentry. Today’s test flight also demonstrated the successful landing of the Super Heavy rocket booster on water. SpaceX said Starship managed to fly further than its previous test flight.

Developed under a $1.15 billion contract with NASA, Starship refers to the reusable stainless steel upper part of the rocket. The lower part of the rocket is its booster, known as Super Heavy. The 33-engine, $3 billion mega-rocket is the largest and most powerful vehicle ever to take off from the ground and can produce 7.6 million kilograms of thrust. This is almost twice the current record held by NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS).

During the third test flight in March, Starship and its Super Heavy rocket booster flew faster and further than ever before. In its second launch attempt in November, it broke records by exploding approximately 10 minutes later. While the spacecraft broke up during reentry, many missions reached their goals and made the flight successful. One big goal was to transfer fuel while in the air. This maneuver is vital to enabling humans to land on the Moon and ensuring astronauts have enough fuel to reach Mars.